NFL Draft 2023: Arizona Cardinals and the third overall pick
The Arizona Cardinals were a total mess in 2022 and have needs all over their roster. What should they do with the third overall pick? Both sides of the ball for the Cardinals were, to say the least, terrible.
They ranked 21st in scoring and allowed the second most points in the NFL on defense. To say that they have needs on both sides of the ball is a massive understatement. New General Manager Monti Ossenfort has a tough task on his hands.
Not only does he have to see what the heck is doing on with Kyler Murray, but both sides of the ball need infuses of talent. Their offensive line is below average, as are their running backs.
DeAndre Hopkins will likely be traded this offseason, creating a need there. They also have huge needs in the secondary and along the defensive line, where JJ Watt exits and Zach Allen becomes a free agent.
This is a huge decision for Ossenfort, who has the quarterback in place, has some pieces on offense and a few nice pieces on defense. However, they are in a tough division and only have five draft picks, in rounds one, two, three, four, and six.
To me, the most logical choice for the new regime to make is to simply trade down from the third overall selection. Now that CJ Stroud has declared, that increases the race for teams to land him and Bryce Young.
Will Levis is also someone who teams will covet, and with the Chicago Bears picking first overall and probably not likely taking a quarterback, a team may feel like jumping up over the Houston Texans.
If that’s the case, then the first two picks may be quarterbacks. That would then leave the Arizona Cardinals at third overall with a top quarterback prospect on the board. In this instance, I could see them moving down a few slots, as they have Kyler Murray under contract.
This is a perfect opportunity for the organization to restock their draft pick cupboard, which was left somewhat bare by Steve Keim.
There’s also the consideration to make with the NFL draft trade value chart, where each draft pick is assigned a number. This helps teams in working their ways up and down draft boards. The chart identifies the third overall pick at 2,200. Meaning, if a team picking seventh overall, the Las Vegas Raiders, want to climb up to the third spot, they’d need to trade their seventh overall pick, valued at 1,500, and send over other draft capital to equal the remaining 700 points.
I think the Arizona Cardinals should trade down from their third overall selection.